Wrench.



J. B. GATHRIGHT.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR.28, 1913.

1, 1 1 7,024, Patented Nov. 10, 1914.

Cam 8E8 6 hwmro w, j W B) i A TTORNEY JOSIAH B. GATHRIGHT, 0F LOUISYILIJJ, KENTUCKY.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Tratcnt.-

Patented NOV. 10, 1914.

Application filed April 28, 1913. Serial No. 764,209.

To all whom it may concern:

3e it known that I, JOSIAH B. GATHRIGIIT, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State ofKentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Wrenches, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in gripping tools of thatclass having crossed levers and jaws so correlated that the jaws move inparallel planes while being adjusted, and in which handles are employedwhich are gripped while the tool is being used.

Nut wrenches form a leading type of hand tools of the class hereinreferred to and such wrenches have been selected to exemplify thepresent improvements: but it should be understood that it is my purposeto embody the present improvements in such hand tools, generally, aslend themselves to the utilization of the features hereinafter setforth, and hence reserve the liberty of embodying the improvementshereinafter described and claimed in hand tools other than. those knownspecifically as nut wrenches and to all such tools in which saidfeatures may be usefully employed.

One of the important objects of the present invention is to provide atool of the class herein set forth which will be of strong, durable,neat and well, balanced construction and which may be most readily andconveniently adjusted to fit different sizes of articles without causingthe handles to be moved so wide apart as to be not conveniently heldwithin the grasp of the the invention is toprovide a tool of the class.

stated having adjusting means so located that the tool may be held andadjusted with one hand, the adjusting means to be provided with a griplocated between the jaws and the hand-grips.

Another of the important objects of the invention is to provide a toolof the class stated having an indicating means which will disclose whenthe jaws have been adjusted'accurately to fit articles of particulardiameters.

j The foregoing objects of the invention and others which will appearfrom the following description and accompanying draw ings disclosing thepreferred embodiment thereof, are best secured from the-constructionsillustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein Figure 1 is anelevation of a nut wrench embodying the invention showing the parts inclosed position. Fig. 2 is a like view of the parts in thepositionthypccupy when the jaws have been openedto operateupon a nut of thewidest diinension within the limits of the tool. Fig. 3 is alongitudinalelevation on a plane at right angles to that from which the device isviewed in Figs. 1 and 2.

Like characters of-reference denote like parts in the several views.

The tool of the present invention includes two handle members havingjaws A A fixedly connected to one end thereof; two or more pairs ofcrossed levers l and 2 whose forward ends are pivoted to the jawsfandwhose rear ends are pivoted to the handle members, the said levers beingalso pivoted to each other at their place of intersection and serving tokeep the parts in parallelism with each other while the tool is being adjusted; and an adjusting means which is arranged rearward of the pivotconnecting the crossed levers to each other and extends transversely ofthe tool and comprises a screw having right and left-threaded endsrespectively engaged with the handle-members. Between the screw ends isprovided a knurled finger grip, and it is to be observed that thisfinger grip will lie at all times in the central longitudinal axisoft-he tool and that the adjusting means lie in the plane of 4 themembers are designated B, B respectively and the body sections of saidmembers are designated C, C respectively.

In the particular form of the device herein exemplified the jaw A, bodysection C and handle B are integral with each other, and the A, bodysection 0' and handle B are also integral with each other.

The lever '1 is pivoted atits forward end,

at the place marked 3, to the aw A and'has its rear end provided with aguide pin or projection which traverses a slot 7 formed 5 lll tlleforward end of the body section C: and the lever 2 is pivoted at itsforward end, at the place marked 4, to the jaw A and has its rear endprovided with a guide pin or projection 6 which traverses a slot 8 inthe forward end of the body section C. These two levers are pivoted toeach other,

at their place of intersection 9, midway the length of the levers and ina p ane longitudinally between the confronting surfaces of the jaws A,-A'. The body sections C, C near their junctions with the jaws I A, A,preferably project inwardly beyond the vertical planes of the innerlongitudinal surfaces of said jaws, the said inwardly g projectingportions forming shoulders or stops 10 and 11, which definethe extent ofmovement of the jaws A and A toward each other to positions in whichsaid jaws are'separated by a space between them, as shown in Fig. 1.Said body sections are alsov formed rearward of the stops or shoulders10 and 11 with recesses, leaving between them at this point a space 12which receives the roughened head 13 forming part aojof the adjustingmeans D. This adjusting "means comprises, in addition to said head,

, right and left threaded screws 14 and 15,

which are respectively threadably engaged with parts of said bodysections near the 85 iunction of the latter with the handles B, B. Saidhandles are relatively so. formed that when the wrench is closed to itsfullest extent. they will overlap each other longitudinally. In theparticular form of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the contiguouslorig'tudinal surfaces of the handles are of reduced thickness, as shownat 16 and 17 being preferably beveled, inporder that they may lieclosely one upon another when the wrench is closed. This reduction inthe thickness of the handles preferably does not extend to the outerlongitudinal portions 18 and 19 of the respective handles, the latterportions being thereby thick enough,

and preferably rounded, to aiford a satisfactory gripping portion. Fromthe foregoing it will be apparent that the construction describedprovides a neat appearing, strong, durable and easily 60 adjusted wrenchof well balanced constructiop and one wherein the jaws may be .opened toa very wide extent, to operate upon nuts. of considerable diameter,without moving the handles B, B to a position in which they would be sowide apart as to be inconveniently grasped when held by the user. closedto their fullest extent are not in contact with each other but areseparated b a space which is of the same or slightly less It will benoted that the jaws when diameterthan small nuts and that as theadjusting means operates to move both jaws simultaneously in oppositedirections, the jaws are quickly openedthe required distance to fit eventhe widest nuts, and it will also be notedthat as the handles overlapeach other when the jaws are closed to their fullest extent, themovement of the handles even when the jaws have been adjusted to takelarge nuts and notwithstanding that they move with the aws in parallelplanes are still sufficiently close together to be properly grasped bythe user. It will further be noted that as the adjusting means isarranged between the jaws and the handles and rearward of the pivot 9,which connects the crossed levers with each other (preferably at or nearthe longitudinal center of the wrench), its power is so applied as toinsure accurate movement of the parts and to resist any tendency of thejaws to open from their adjusted positions, under the force exerted onthe wrench by the user. It will be.understood that the jaws, handles andbody sections movetogether in parallel planes in the adjustment of thejaws to fit diflerent sizes of nuts, this movement in parallel planesduritig the adjustment of the jaws being brought about by the crossedlevers 1 and 2. Preferably, there are two pairs of crossed leversemployed, one pair at each side of the wrench, as shown in Fig. 3.

In order that the jaws may be accurately adjusted to different sizes ofnuts, when the 10?) sizes of the latter are known, without requiringpreliminary guess work and subsequent adjustment of the jaws onto'thenuts, an indicating means is provided which shows accurately thedistance between the jaws in the various adjustments of the latter,-andhence shows when they have been adjusted to a position to fit aparticular known size of nut which it is intended to tighten or loosen.-This indicating means comprises two parts, to wit, a scale and apointer, respectively provided on adjacent portions of the crossedlevers 1 and 2. As shown in Fig. 1, the pointer, designated 20, isformed as a projection 1 from the crossed lever l, and a scale,designated 21, is provided on the lever 2. This indicating means isparticularly advantageous when the nut to be operated upon is located ina place which cannot be conveniently reached, as are many nuts uponautomobiles. From the foregoing, the construction, op ,eration andadvantages ,oflthe present invention will be readily understood, and itwill be apparent th at 'chapges in the'form, construction andrelativeirrangement of the parts may be made without departing from thes irit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

It will be understood that the part named 130 in the foregoingdescription and following claims as the body section is intendedarbitrarily to include that part of the device which is between theparticular surfaces which do the gripping and the particular parts whichare included in the grasp of the user: and also that while particulardevices constituting stops have been disclosed any means or correlationof parts which will prevent the two 'aws from coming into contact witheach ot er will be withinthe spirit and scope of the claims which do notparticularly define the construction or locatio of such stops.

Having now described the invention what I believe to be new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A hand tool, comprising jaws, handles, body sections between the jawsand handles, crossed levers pivoted to each other at their place ofintersection and having their forward ends pivoted to the jaws and theirrear ends pivoted to the body sections, said body ---sections havingconcaved confronting edges between the handles and the pivot whichconnects the crossed levers with each other, said handles being arrangedto overlap each other when the tool is closed, and an adjusting meanscomprising a head which is mounted in the space formedby the concavededges of the body-sections and right and left-threaded ends which extendin oppositedirections from said head and are respectively engaged withthe body sections,

said head being in alinement with the central longitudinal axis of thetool..

2. A hand tool comprising, in combination, a pair of handle membershaving. jaws fixedly connected thereto, crossed levers piv-' members andextending transversely of the tool and arranged rearward of the pivotwhich connects the crossed levers to each other, said adjusting meanslying in the plane of the jaws and provided with a finger grip alined inthe central longitudinalaxis of the tool, and a stop which defines theinward movement of the jaws to a position in which they are spaced apartwhen the jaws have been adjusted to their fullest extent toward eachother, said handle members also having gripping portions which arearranged to overlap each other when the jaws have been adjusted to theirsaid fullest extent toward each other.

Intestimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing wit- IICSSQS.

JOSIAH B. GATHRIGHT.

Witnesses:

H. K; SOLOMON, E. S. Foo'm.

copies 0! this patent may be obtained (or five cents each, by addressingthe" Commissioner of intents,

Washington, D. 0."

